Mel's mix

maxwell Mon Nov 30, 2020 3:15 pm

Hi everyone just would like to know if you can buy Mel's square foot garden potting soil any where in Canada.I have been trying to find it and came up empty handed hope someone maybe able to help thank you

plantoid Thu Dec 03, 2020 11:30 am

Hi Maxwell,
you make the mix yourself using Mel's formula ( see the book in my strap line if you don't have one ).

It' ends up as 15 buckets of material which works out nicely
5 of fluffed peat
5 of vermiculite

5ive buckets of different compostable materials

watch out for commercial stuff that is a soil improver rather than a proper compostable material as they tend to have a very high wood product content as it screws the quality of the mix

Also ignore any stuff produced by the local authorities composting peoples house/ garden waste and selling or giving it away as compost .. It' liable to contain all manner of rubbish & toxic stuff including cut grass with a lot of long term residual hormonal weed killers still in it which will prevent seeds germinating or kill young seedlings.

crankyoldman Sat Dec 19, 2020 2:00 pm

I tried Mel's and was disappointed and I am certain it was not blended in the proportions advocated by Mel. I tried another brand with equal disappointment. Then I found Kellogg's Raised Bed soil which performed better. I then began mixing my own and started getting much better results. My suggestion is you mix your own as it will cost much less. When making your own mix screen all the compost materials to rid them of large stones, wood chunks and junk. I once purchased a 10 cubic yard load of compost to use as mulch under my citrus trees; I screened more than 2 cubic yards of undesirable material from the load, such things a crushed beer cans, broken glass, plastic bags, splintered lumber, stones up to fist size among other things.

If you decide to make your own compost (a good idea for all SFG farmers) I suggest you find and befriend someone who keeps goats, a little goat manure in the compost pile will help keep it hot and digesting your kitchen and garden waste.

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Mel's mix

Mel's mix

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	Hello Guest! Welcome to the official Square Foot Gardening Forum. There's lots to learn here by reading as a guest. However, if you become a member (it's free, ad free and spam-free) you'll have access to our large vermiculite databases, our seed exchange spreadsheets, Mel's Mix calculator, and many more members' pictures in the Gallery. Enjoy.